Shoe-vamp blank



A. C. ENGEL SHOE-VAMP BLANK Feb 7, 15)

5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed March 25, 1948 Feb, 7, 195 A. C. ENGEL 2,496,783

SHOE-VAMP BLANK 5 SheetsSheet 3 Original Filed March 25, 1948 15w 3 W I 48 /6' 25 Patented Feb. 7, 1950 SHOE-VAMP BLANK Arthur .C. Engel, Haverhill, Mass.

Original application March 25, 1948, Serial No. 16,948. Divided and this application January 24,1949, Serial No. 72,285

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to shoe-vamp blanks. This application is a divisionalapplicaticn of my parent'application,Serial No. 16,948, filed March 25, 1948.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved shoe-vamp blank adapted to be molded to finished shoevamp shape before assembly in a shoe.

Other and further objects will be explained hereinafter and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention will now be more fully explained in connection with the accompanyin drawings, in which Fig. 1 he perspective of a shoe'embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective, partly in section, of a modification; Fig. 3 is an elevation of astiffener blank of the present inventionout-of which may be manufactured the prepared moldedshoe vamp shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is' a similar elevation showing the stiliener'blank of Fig. 3 assembled with an inner-lining and an outer leathercovering; Fig. 5 is a similar elevation'of a similar stiffener blank constituted wholly of leather; Fig. 6 is an elevation of the stiffener blank shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 7 is a vertical'sectiontaken upon the line I---'! of Fig. 4, lookingin the direction of the arrows; Fig. 8 is an elevation of the leather stiffener blank shown'in'Fig. 5; Figs.'9, l and 11 are elevations similar to Figs. 3 and '5 of further'modified stiffener blanks; and Fig. 12 is a section similar to Fig. '7 ofthe'blank of Fig. 11, the section being'taken uponthe-line l2l-2 of Fig. 11, looking in=the direction of 'the arrows.

A prepared molded shoe vamp embodying a shoe-vamp blank of the present invention is shown in Fig. l'provided at its extreme'toe portion and onboth side's lthereof witha portion?) rising upward'a short distance from the outer edge I of an inturnedbottom flange l6. A tongue E3 rises a substantial-distanceupward from the upwardly risingportion 6 atits-extreme toe portion, and front vamptongues" I1 and rear vamp tongues I9 rise similarly a substantial distance upward from the upwardly rising portion 6 on both sides l5-of the-extremetoe'portion. This style of prepared...shoe lvamp.may be manufactured from a flat blank ii- 2 having the general shape illustrated, for example, in Fig. 9. The

tongue I3 is :replaced .inFig. 9, however, by a tongueflofmore slenderishape andlonger than the tongue 13, and thei'portion :6 is shown. rising upward a littlehigher than in Fig. 11. 'The'toe portion may, on the other hand, be'of smaller length,.as shown'bytheblank of Fig. .10, and

it may be even smaller still, as shown by the blank 48 of Figs. 11 and 12. The tongue 9 or [3 is shown disposed approximately centrally of this blank l2, and the front vamp tongues H and the rear vamp tongues 69 are disposed between the center and the ends of the blank.

Other styles of shoe-vamp blanks are, of course, possible. The rear side-portion tongues 19 of the vamp of Fig.1, for example, may be omitted; or, on the other hand, the front side-portion tongues i! may be omitted, instead; or both tongues. 11 and I9 may be omitted; or the tongues Hand l9 may bemerged into a single continuous tongue, as described in the said parent application.

In the vamp illustrated by Fig. 2, as a further example, the portion s'that is shown rising upwarda short distance from the outer edge I of the inturned bottom flange I6 is not quite so long as the portion B of the vamp illustrated in Fig. l. The side portions i5 thereof are shown so relatively short as not to be able to provide support for'any sideportion tongues ll or Y I 9. It is therefore provided with only the single tongue i3 rising a substantial distance upward from the upwardly rising portion 8 at its extreme toeportion only. A shoe vamp-of this shape may be manufactured from the blank illustrated, for example, in Figs. 3 to 8. In the leather stiffener blank of Figs. 5 and 8, the single tongue at the extreme toe portion is indicated at M.

In allcases, however, the upwardly rising portions of the shoe vamp molded from the shoevamp blanks of the present invention are separated at their .upper edges in order to provide r an opening at the top oftheshoe vamp. The

width of the vamp, at some approximately central point thereof, is in all cases small compared with its length, in order that this vamp opening shall extend from near the extreme toe portion of the shoe vamp rearward throughout the length of the vamp. The tongues, such as are indicated at 9, it, M, H and i9, for example, project into this opening. A portion of the vvamp formed from the blank 48 of Figs. 11 and 12 may similarly rise upward to form a tongue portion in. this opening.

The blank of the present invention out of which the vamp is manufactured may comprise a stiffener blank died or otherwise formed out of suit able sheet material. Several. such blanks are illustrated in Figs. 3 to 8 and 9 130.12. The sheet material may: be constituted: of composition, such as leatherboard, fiberboard or other vegetablepulp product impregnated with sizing treated with wax or a similarsubstance. The margin of the stiffener blank may be skived, as illustrated in Figs. 6, 7 and 12. The skiving is not, however, essential, and the leather stifiener blank of Figs. 5 and 8 is therefore shown unskived.

The fiat stifiener blank may be secured in place between a flat inner lining 28 and a flat outer cover 30 assembled therewith. The resulting shoe-vamp blank thus produced becomes provided with upper and lower edges 3 and 5, the lower edge 5 being adapted to define the inner edge of the inturned bottom flange l6 of the molded vamp. Each of these three component blanks extends upward from the lower edge 5, preferably along the complete length of the blank, and this provides the completed shoe-vamp blank with a main portion 6 or 8. The main portion is provided with the side parts l5 and a centrally disposed portion corresponding to the extreme toe portion of the vamp. The toe-portion tongue 9, 13 or M is shown supported by the centrally disposed portion of the blank at a substantial distance from the ends of the blank. The width 01 the blank between the upper and lower edges 3 and 5, at the sides of the tongue 9, 13 or I4, near the centrally disposed portion of the blank, is

small compared with the length of the blank between its ends, and the width of the toe-portion tongue 9, [3 or I 4 is short, thereby to provide the molded vamp with the previously described opening extending from near the extreme toe portion rearward throughout the length of the vamp.

The assembled shoe-vamp blank or the leather stiffener blank of Figs. 5 and 8 is molded into finished shoe-vamp shape in any desired manner, and it may also be wiped to form the inturned bottom flange [6, as is well known in the art. The inturned bottom flange I6 may be slashed, as shown at 25, prior to the molding and'wiping operations.

The vamp is then ready for assembly in a shoe. In Fig. 2, as an illustration, it is shown assembled by securing the inturned bottom flange l6 between the outer sole 2 and the inner sole 4 at the toe portion and on both sides of the shoe by means of staples 45. No lasting operation is at all 4 required during this assembly, though a last may be employed as a support for nailing or cementing.

An advantage of the present invention is that it is not necessary to manufacture shoes embodying molded shoe-vamp blanks in so many sizes and shapes as has heretofore been the practice; for any shoe embodying the invention will fit many feet of varying size and shape.

In Fig. 1, for example, a shoe lace 34- is illustrated as threaded through eyelets 3B in the toeportion tongue l3 and the side-portion vamp tongues l1 and I9, and it may be tensioned or tightened in varying degrees so as to cause the toe-portion tongue I3 and the side-portion vamp tongues I? and I9 to bind against the foot with suitable pressure, after which the shoe lace 34 may be tied into a knot, as illustrated in Fig. l, or it may be carried back of the ankle, or it may be fastened in any other desired way. In order to facilitate the adjustment, the toe-portion tongue l3 and the side-portion vamp tongues l1 and IQ of the stiffener blank may, instead of rising coextensively with the inner lining and the outer covering, be wholly omitted, as illustrated in Figs. 10 to 12, though without omitting the corresponding toe-portion tongue and side-portion vamp tongues of the inner lining 28 and the outer leather covering 30.

For womens shoes embodying the shoe-vamp blanks of the present invention when molded, the height or width above the bottom flange l5 of the portions of the vamp between the tongues may vary from a small fraction of an inch, as illustrated, for example, at the extreme forward portion of the vamp illustrated in Fig. 12, to a maximum of about an inch. The maximum width of the unmolded blank between its bottom edge 5 and the portions 3 of the upper edge of the blank between the tongues would then be about an inch and a quarter in order to provide for a quarter-inch flange IS. The length of the bottom edge 5 of the unmolded blank may be about six orseven inches. A half-inch height or width above the outer periphery of the bottom inturned flange l 6 of the Vamps is illustrated, for example, in Fig. 1. In Figs. 3 to 8, as a further illustration, the half-inch height or width is indicated as extended to the outer ends of the blank.

Further modifications will occur to persons skilled in the art, and all such are considered to fall within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A shoe-vamp blank adapted to be molded to finished shoe-vamp shape before assembly in a shoe, the blank comprising, in unmolded state, a flat inner lining assembled with a flat outer covering and a flat stiffener inserted therebetween, the blank having upper and lower edges, the inner lining, the outer covering and the stiffener all extending upward from the said lower edge and along the complete length of the blank to provide the blank with a main portion, the inner lining, the outer covering and the stiiTener being substantially coextensive with one another throughout the main portion of the blank, the blank having separated tongues positioned intermediate the ends of the blank and extending a substantial distance upward above the main portion of the blank, and the width of the blank between the said upper and lower edges being small compared to the length of the blank between its ends.

2. A shoe-vamp blank adapted to be molded to finished shoe-vamp shape before assembly in a shoe, the blank comprising, in unmolded state, a fiat inner lining assembled with a flat outer covering and a flat stifiener inserted therebetween, the blank having upper and lower edges, the inner lining, the outer covering and the stiffener all extending upward from the said lower edge and along the complete length of the blank to provide the blank with a main portion, the inner lining, the outer covering and the stiffener being substantially coextensive with one another throughout the main portion of the blank and forming separated tongues positioned intermediate the ends of the blank and extending a substantial distance upward above the main portion of the blank, and the width of the blank between the said upper and lower edges being small compared to the length of the blank between its ends.

3. A shoe-vamp blank adapted to be molded to finished shoe-vamp shape before assembly in a shoe, the blank comprising, in unmolded state, a flat inner lining assembled with a flat outer covering and a flat stiffener inserted therebetween, the blank having upper and lower edges, the inner lining, the outer covering and the stifiener all extending upward from the said lower edge and along the completelength of the blank to provide the blank with a main portion, the inner lining, the outer covering and the stiffener being substantially coextensive with one another throughout the main portion of the blank, the inner lining and the outer covering extending a substantial distance upward above the main portion of the blank to form separated tongues positioned intermediate the ends of the blank, and the width of the blank between the said upper and lower edges being small compared to the length of the blank between its ends.

4. A shoe-vamp blank adapted to be molded to finished shoe-vamp shape before assembly in a shoe, the blank comprising, in unmolded state, a flat inner lining assembled with a fiat outer covering and a fiat stiffener inserted therebetween, the blank having upper and lower edges, the inner lining, the outer covering and the stiffener all extending upward from the said lower edge and along the complete length of the blank to provide the blank with a main portion, the inner lining, the outer covering and the stiffener being substantially coextensive with one another throughout the main portion of the blank, the

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 6,123 Stoekwell Nov. 3, 1874 D. 27,361 Waters July 13, 1897 2,119,274 Hartwell May 31, 1938 2,244,868 Dunbar June 10, 1941 2,245,235 Thurston June 10, 1941 

